


Everything Changes (And Yet Stays The Same)

by traumschwinge



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: Still Have Powers, Asexual Character, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/F, M/M, Meet the Family, Other, Past Relationship(s), Sex Talk, Single Parents, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-11 00:26:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7015153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traumschwinge/pseuds/traumschwinge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For about eight years, Erik has been dating (read: hanging out at his place, watch a movie or eat out) his U.S. Marshall boyfriend Logan. For about eight years, Erik's also been keeping that from everybody, mostly because he has three small children and doesn't want to face the possibility of having to explain to them how people die when they get shot, even those with healing factor sometimes.<br/>But in eight years, things change. Toddlers and preschoolers grow into teenagers who wonder why Daddy's not dating for example. Or promotion from the field to a desk. After all that time, Erik realizes it might finally at the point when he has to introduce Logan to his children.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything Changes (And Yet Stays The Same)

**Author's Note:**

> Reminder that Logan was born in the 19th century. I only made everyone else about 50 years younger.

  
Whenever and wherever they met, Erik’s first action was always the same. He would take out his phone, set the ringer on the highest possible volume and put the phone down somewhere safe within reach. With time, he’d at least learned how to relax after that and only to look at his phone every half an hour or so.   
Logan had to admit he’d wanted to joke about that at first. Erik’s phone had rung maybe two or three times in more than that number of years of them meeting. It had never been anything serious, not really, at least not if you counted “the mutant babysitter is panicking over my mutant babies’ new abilities” as something to be expected. And the babysitter had handled it well without any help from Erik. By the time he’d gotten home, the twins had been fast asleep in bed and aside from a broken mixer there was no harm done. It didn’t stop Erik from worrying, though, just as nothing would ever entirely stop him from worrying about them, so Logan had let him be. It wasn’t his place to complain when he was the one usually dictating the dates of their meetings. He was just glad Erik could get anyone to mind his kids on short notice.  
Once, Logan had asked if they couldn’t just meet at Erik’s house, instead of going out or spending a couple of hours in Logan’s tiny apartment and bed. The idea hadn’t been met with any kind of approval, or even mere possibility of consideration.  
“No,” Erik had flat out told him.  
“No?” The curt answer had taken Logan aback.  
Erik had shaken his head. “Children need stability. And you’re… Well…” He’d shrugged helplessly. “I don’t mind. Really. I don’t. You could show up every other year and I wouldn’t give a damn. But with the kids…” He shook his head.  
“We’ve been meeting like this for what? Four years? Going onto five? Is that not stable enough to introduce me?” Logan had known questions like that would have been exactly the wrong thing to ask Erik, that he would have taken them as accusations and reason to fight just so he could run away and justify it to himself as anger instead of fear. So instead, he had asked, “Are you afraid they might not like me?”  
Erik had pulled a face. “That too. But… I’m mostly afraid they would like you.”  
“Huh?” That had startled Logan a little, but in the light of what Erik had said in the beginning, it made sense. Some at least.  
“What am I going to tell them if they ask about you? That you’re on the other side of the country, working? I could lie, but…” He’d shaken his head. “I’m not outright lying to them.” He’d sighed. “Let them get old enough to understand.” He’d motioned between them, indicating whatever there was between them. “In a couple of years, maybe.”  
With that, the topic had been dealt with. Neither of them had brought it up since.  
That had been about three years ago. Logan wasn’t even sure why he thought about it now. It might just be the talk with his boss he’d had earlier that day and the letter lying on his kitchen counter, opened, crumbled and then carefully smoothed by hand again. He looked over to his travelbag and sighed. There wasn’t much time until Erik would arrive but he could at least start unpacking for now.  
Erik arrived when Logan had just finished sorting through the laundry, a basket of whites waiting to be taken to the laundromat and shirts and a suit ready for the dry cleaner. Like usual when he’d called before driving over, Erik didn’t bother ringing and let himself in using his powers. He did have a spare key, too, a mere symbol of Logan’s permission as it never saw any actual use.  
When Logan emerged from the bedroom, bag and basket stored out of the way, he found Erik sitting on the couch, rubbing his hands over his eyes. He looked worn.  
“Beer?” Logan asked, knowing fully well that Erik would decline since he would have to drive home later.  
Erik groaned. “Coffee, if you don’t want me to fall asleep on your couch,” he replied.  
“Hard week?” Logan asked while he turned on the coffee maker.  
Erik made a noise that could have been a scoff but might as well have been a noise of actual grief. “Teenagers and those about to be one,” he said. Logan could hear him get up and come into the kitchen. “I’ll tell you later.”  
Logan just nodded. It must be important enough if Erik wanted to actually talk about something that had him deeply troubled. While the coffee maker gurgled, filling the air with the promising scent of hot caffein, Logan took a closer look at Erik. There were dark shadows under his eyes, his skin looked somewhat dull and a little paler than usual. It had Logan worried that Erik might have gotten sick or swamped at work and shouldn’t even be over when he could be in bed.  
With a sigh, Erik pulled one of the two stools by the counter out and dropped down on it like he couldn’t stand for another minute without collapsing. Logan watched his glance fall on the letter and the seal on it announcing in no uncertain terms where it was from. For a second, Erik froze, before he very deliberately looked anywhere but at the letter.  
“I had a talk with my boss about that today,” Logan said, pointing at the letter. “Read it. It’s a fucking promotion. And I can’t get out this time unless I want people higher on the food chain get very very pissed at me.”  
“Since when do you care about that?” Erik asked.   
Logan shrugged. “I like my boss and don’t want her fired.”  
Erik had unfolded the letter and was skimming the text. “That is a lot of money and benefits compared to now.” He let out a low whistle. “Are they… Will you get reassigned out of state?”  
Logan let out a deep sigh. “I’d like that better, almost.” He shook his head. “No. It’s in town. A desk job.” He groaned. “A fucking desk job. I’m getting promoted high enough people won’t shoot at me anymore.”  
That got a smile out of Erik, at least, though he still looked worried. “You of all people in a suit on a daily basis.”  
“I know,” Logan huffed. “I need to actually buy some.”  
“Tell me where and when, I need to get picture proof of that.” Erik was smirking but Logan could tell that Erik was thinking about something else and hadn’t reached a conclusion yet.  
Instead of bugging him, though, Logan just put two fresh, hot coffees on the counter and claimed the other stool. For a couple of minutes, they nursed their coffees in silence. It took some gulps until Erik was ready to talk again.  
“This means you’ll be around more, right?” he asked, very quietly. He was staring at the letter, avoiding Logan’s face.  
“I won’t be travelling much anymore, no,” Logan said, carefully. He couldn’t read Erik right now and that alone made him uneasy. He was sure Erik was unhappy with something, but he couldn’t even begin to guess what.  
“Less than a week a month?”  
“More like less than a week in two months.”  
It took another minute, until Erik had thought it through and decided what to say next. “My girls are asking me why I don’t date,” he eventually said, his voice all flat and his body language defensive.  
Logan raised his eyebrows. “What did you tell them?”  
“To leave me be?” Erik shrugged. “Do you want me to tell them about you?”  
Logan thought about it for a moment. It didn’t feel right to respond with a question in turn, so he settled on a simple nod.  
“And you’ll be here for good now? With the promotion and all?” Erik went on.  
Logan nodded again.  
“Ok.” Erik took a deep breath. “Ok. Good.” After some silence, he went on. “My girls actually went to their mothers to also tell me to go date again.” He rolled his eyes. “Any chance dinner could get you to help me ward that off?”  
“Will you cook?” Logan was too surprised to think of anything else to say.  
“I’ll make Pietro cook. Set the kitchen on fire. Kill us all.” The deadpan persisted for about five seconds, before Erik rolled his eyes, finally looking at Logan again.  
Logan smirked. “Sounds like fun.”  
It earned him a punch to the arm. “Just tell me when you’re free and what you wanna eat. Put on something nice, so I won’t get angry calls from Magda that I let a suspicious bear near her precious little menaces.”  
“Don’t you think your youngest could kill me if need be?” Logan smirked.  
Erik looked him up and down. “Probably. Or she’ll wrap you around her little finger.”  
“Like you did?” Logan collected the empty coffee mugs and put them into the sink.  
“Hm, hopefully not,” Erik hummed back. He stretched. “Any chance you’ll let me nap for a bit?”  
“Why don’t you sleep in your own bed?” Logan grinned. He took the few steps over so he could pull Erik off the stool. “You look like you didn’t do that in days.”  
“I had to worry about being bugged into dating a woman of my daughter’s choosing,” Erik murmured, leaning against Logan. “And, to be fair, my bed doesn’t have you in it.”  
Logan put his arm around Erik’s hip. “We can change that when I come over.” It made Erik look at him, eyes wide and a little scared, before that expression melted in something softer and close to a smile.   
“We will,” he agreed, burying his face against Logan’s neck.  
~*~  
Logan couldn’t say he adjusted to his new job without trouble. After working out in the field for so long, never knowing for sure where and when he’d work the next week, it felt weird to just work roughly the same hours every day. The new dress code he’d had to mind now felt unfamiliar as well. Sure, he’d had to wear a suit or something close when he’d appeared in court, but that had only happened so often. Now, it was suits and dress shirts every day. The only good thing about that was Erik having a good laugh at Logan’s expense when they’d bought two additional suits to the one Logan already owned.  
He had to admit seeing Erik at least once a week was a nice change to his life, though. However weird it had been at first, after more than eight years of meeting at irregular intervals, they’d soon gone over to joke about lunch dates or possible date nights, knowing fully well that most of those plans would get dismissed in favor of them lazing on Logan’s couch for a while in the evening, not that Logan minded.  
It had still taken them weeks after Logan had started his desk job to find an evening when Logan could come to Erik’s for dinner. Erik had been fretting a lot, considering and dismissing multiple dates for various reasons. In the end, he’d found a friday night when none of the kids had plans yet and Erik was mostly sure they could spare an evening to meet his long term partner. In Logan’s opinion Erik was worrying far too much, but he didn’t say anything about it, knowing that nothing he’d say could make Erik relax about the matter.  
Said Friday evening, Logan drove straight to Erik’s after work. He had run late there, just late enough so he wouldn’t make it home anymore but still be on time if he went directly. He was just glad he’d stored anything he’d need to stay the night already in the car, just in case Erik would make good on the promise of letting him stay over.  
Logan stopped his car right in front of Erik’s driveway, casually blocking the garage. He removed his tie and opened the first two shirt buttons, checking his hair for a moment too. He could sense the familiar brush of Erik’s powers over his bones, before his watch hummed for a moment, indicating that Erik knew he was there. One last calming breath, Logan got out of the car.  
It were the kids, all three of them, who opened the door when Logan rang, looking him up and down with varying degrees of suspicion. That, mostly, was what had Logan reach into his jacket to take out his badge and show it to them. “US marshal service,” he said in his gruffest voice possible. “Is Erik Lehnsherr home?”  
The eyes of the kids widened. One of the girls, Logan assumed Wanda, took his badge to examine it, handing it back with a deep frown that looked a lot like her father.  
“What does an US marshal do?” the other girl, Lorna, asked.  
For a moment, Logan visibly hesitated, before he knelt down so he could bring his face on a level with the ten year old. “I work for courts to find bad guys who got away and protect those who stepped forward when they saw something bad to tell a judge and jury,” Logan said, giving a rather abridged version of the various duties he’d had over the years. He didn’t think details were what mattered at the moment anyway.  
“What do you want from our dad then?” Pietro asked. He looked a lot like how Logan imagined Erik had looked like as a teen. “Is he still a wanted fugitive?”  
“Still?” Logan murmured, before he decided to just own the joke fully. He stood up, glowering at the kids for a moment longer. They looked a bit too shocked and ready to fight him, so he broke into a grin and winked, hoping they’d get the message. “Yes, he definitely is.”  
Wanda seemed to have understood him. Upon his grin, she turned around and went to a door, poking her head into the room behind. “Dad, the police is here to arrest you!” she called. Somewhere in the back, there was a rattle that sounded like someone dropping kitchen utensils. Seconds later, Erik pushed past Wanda, looking flustered and somewhat annoyed.  
“Don’t you have anything better to do than scaring people?” he grumbled, wiping his hands with the tea towel he was holding.  
Logan shrugged, his grin widening. “How else am I going to get past your bodyguards if not with the powers the federal government bestowed me with?”  
“You’re so full of…” Erik bit his lip, shaking his head. “Just come in. You’re letting all the cold air in.”  
Logan stepped inside, keenly aware that Lorna was still staring at him, but with an expression closer to curiosity than to the awe she’d shown before. He smiled at her, feeling nervous himself about this for the first time. The way he knew Erik, if the kids wouldn’t approve, their relationship might be over. He looked over to Erik for help but he only shrugged and murmured something about having to get back to the food lest it overcooked or worse.  
As soon as Erik was out of the hallway, Pietro suddenly moved. Logan could only see a smudge in the corner of his eye, then, one second to the next, his jacket was open and his wallet missing. Pietro was back to leaning against the wall, idly flipping through Logan’s id and cards. “So, you’re that Logan Dad told us about?” Pietro frowned. “He didn’t tell us you were a fed.”  
It was an open challenge, but Logan wasn’t pety enough to let a fifteen year old rile him up like that. “He probably didn’t want you to think my job is more dangerous than it is.” He shrugged.  
“So you’re not getting shot at? Do you even have a service gun?” Pietro made it very obvious that despite Logan’s credentials in his hand, he didn’t believe him. “You look more like a trucker in a rented suit.”  
“I work a desk job. I don’t necessarily need a gun. That’s why it’s safely locked away, as it’s supposed to be.” Logan rolled his eyes. He held out his hand. “Are you finished with that?”  
“Not yet,” Pietro replied, holding the wallet away from Logan. “What’s with this date of birth? Is that a typo?”  
Logan tried to feign ignorance. “What does it say?”  
It was obvious Pietro wasn’t quite sure whether Logan was serious or pulling his leg. “Your ID and driver’s licence have different years on them.”  
“That’s weird,” Logan lied.   
Pietro narrowed his eyes. “How old are you?”  
“A bit older than your dad.”  
Pietro wasn’t satisfied with that answer and very obviously so, but he had no time to ask any more, because suddenly, Lorna gently pulled Logan’s hand. “Why’s your skeleton all metal?” she asked.  
For a moment, all Logan could do was stare at her wide-eyed, before he remembered that Erik had told him she’d inherited his mutation. If only he’d thought of that before so he could have thought of a good answer to that question. No use crying over spilled milk, though. Again, he knelt down, holding out his hand for her to examine more closely. He could already feel her powers, much more shaky than Erik’s still, feeling out every bone there.  
“It’s part of my mutation,” he told her. It wasn’t all that untrue. After all, his mutation was the only reason he had this alloy covering his bones. “I can heal every wound in no time, but my bones are metal. And…” He pointed Lorna to feel up his arm. “Can you tell?”  
She frowned, concentrating. As if not sure, she felt out her own arm with her fingers. “Three long bones too many,” she eventually concluded.  
Logan nodded. “Claws,” he said by way of explanation. “I’d show you, bublet, but it’s a bit gross to watch right before dinner.”  
“Bublet?” Pietro repeated. One could almost hear him pull a face. “What kind of name is that supposed to be? Is that even a word?”  
“Just drop it, Pietro,” Wanda chided. Logan had neither noticed her leaving nor coming back until she spoke. “Dad says dinner is about ready and we should go sit down.”   
She shooed all three of them into one of the rooms adjacent to the hallway. The table there was set for five people, with a slightly garish dark red table cloth. At least, Logan mused, there were no candles or any centerpiece. To think the last time he and Erik had had dinner together they’d eaten takeaway straight from the boxes in front of the tv.  
Lorna pulled at Logan’s hand to get his attention, pointed at a chair and declared: “You can have my seat. I know you’ll wanna sit next to Daddy.”  
Logan smiled down at her, pulling the indicated chair out, but then thinking better of it and pulling out the chair next to it, he made a sweeping gesture at Lorna, indicating her to sit down. She giggled as she let him help her with her chair.  
“Are you trying to charm your way into her good graces?” Erik asked as he came in, carrying a large wooden board with pierogi on it.  
Logan looked between his partner and Lorna, winked and asked, “Well, is it working?”  
“Yes,” Lorna chirped.  
“See?” Logan laughed. “I’m only doing the right thing here.”  
Erik shook his head, putting the board down in the middle of the table. He was the last to sit down, at the head of the table with Wanda to his right and Logan to his left. Pietro was sitting furthest away from Logan, opposite to Lorna, glaring across the table. Logan smiled at him, mostly to piss him off some more.  
Under the table, Erik took Logan’s hand and squeezed it lightly, not letting go after that. Confused, Logan looked at him. He didn’t have time to ask. Moments later, Lorna snatched his other hand, smiling at him when he looked at her. She was holding her brother’s hand across the table too, just like Wanda, who had taken Erik’s other hand in hers as well.  
For a moment, Erik waited for Lorna’s amusement to taper down, before he said, very solemnly, “Ready. Set. Eat!”  
The kids repeated the words back at him, Lorna the loudest, before they pulled their hands back and started to attack the pierogi. Logan was still looking at Erik, confusion battling with the slow realization that this was just their ritual before dinner. “Ready set go, really?” Logan murmured, low enough that he could hope only Erik would hear him.  
Erik rolled his eyes, feeling safe in his knowledge that the kids wouldn’t listen anyway while they were still hungry. “I was very very tired when we started that. I just gave up fighting for a better one.”  
Laughing a little, Logan shook his head.  
It took a while for the kids to still their hunger enough to concentrate on anything but the food. Logan don't mind. He enjoyed the clatter of cutlery and plates around him, he enjoyed that Erik hadn’t pulled his hand back under the table, but had put it on Logan’s knee instead. He couldn’t remember when he’d last been part of a family dinner, but at the same time he couldn’t imagine having felt that content with it either. Somehow, Erik and the kids had managed to make him feel like he belonged.  
Eventually, as the board in the middle emptied, the kids snuck more and more glances at Logan. It didn’t take long before Lorna, a half eaten pierogi still on her plate, asked, “Daddy? Can we skip talking about our days today and ask Logan things?”  
Erik looked at Logan, unsure for a second. But when Logan indicated a nod, he sighed. “Fine. I guess it was the point of this dinner anyway.”  
“What do you want to know?” Logan asked.  
Lorna thought for a moment. “Where are you from?”  
“The north,” Logan said vaguely. “I was born in Canada. But I’ve been living here in this town for… Almost ten years.” He looked at the twins. “Who next?”  
“Do you even want kids? Or are you just putting up with us because of Dad?” Pietro grumbled. He immediately twitched like he’d been kicked. Judging by the look Wanda shot him, that was exactly what had happened. Under the table, Erik snatched Logan’s hand and held on tight. Logan squeezed back, trying to remain calm even though he could feel Erik’s hand tremble.  
Logan shrugged. “I won’t lie, without your dad I would never have considered kids,” he said. “But, trust me, he talks so much about you all that I’ve had plenty of time to make the informed decision that yes I very much want to get to know you first hand.” He paused. “But I don’t think I’d want kids of my own. Not biological ones anyway.”  
“No baby with daddy?” Lorna asked, eyes a little wide. “But you like him.”  
“I like him very very much,” Logan said gravely. “But that doesn’t mean we need to have a baby together.”  
It was obvious that Lorna had a little trouble with the concept of couples not wanting a baby still.  
Logan felt a little bad. “Do you want a baby brother or sister?” he asked.  
Lorna shook her head. “Babies are annoying and boring,” she declared.  
“See?” Logan smiled. “We agree.”  
The next to ask a question was Wanda. She took her time, staring Logan down in a way she definitely had learned from her dad, before she spoke. “How long have you and Dad been dating?”  
“Eight or nine years.” Logan furrowed his brow in thought. “Something like that.”  
“Then why is it that he never even mentioned you?” Wanda went on. She had narrowed her eyes too, definitely suspicious. Logan didn’t need to look at Erik to know he was about to step in.  
Logan cleared his throat. “Until a couple of weeks ago, I worked in the field. I was away a lot. And when it started you were so small, we agreed that telling you your dad had a boyfriend who he only saw every other month and who might get shot by a baddy wasn’t the best idea,” he explained. “After that, we just, kinda, forgot.”  
Wanda looked incredulous from Logan to her father and back. “You forgot?”  
“It didn’t come up anymore. Since nothing changed why should our stance on it,” Logan said.  
“I don’t believe you.”  
“Why?” Logan was feeling a little nervous again. He’d thought Pietro’s approval would be the hardest to win but it looked like his twin was just as stubborn in her distrust.  
“Dad wouldn’t hide his boyfriend from us,” she said with conviction. “Dad tells us everything.”  
Erik pulled a face. “Wanda,” he murmured through his teeth.  
All it did was making Wanda direct her glare at him instead. “Why didn’t you tell us? I wanna know.”  
Erik sighed. He was now really shaking and Logan could tell from his hardened expression and the way Erik had shifted in his seat that he was just moments away from calling the whole thing off. Logan squeezed his knee, trying to convey that it was okay, at least for him. “Logan already told you why,” Erik’s words were just short of a snap. “I didn’t want you to meet somebody who could just disappear from our lives again the next month.” He shrugged, helpless and defeated. “I didn’t mind but… there are things I want to keep for myself.”  
He made it sound like he meant their relationship, but Logan knew Erik was actually talking about the fear he’d had any time Logan was away to work in the field. Wanda had to have realized she’d gone too far, as she was biting her lip and not looking at her father. For a while, nobody spoke.  
Finally, Logan couldn’t take the atmosphere anymore. Erik hurting like this made him hurt too. He cleared his throat. “I have a question, too.” Logan waited until he had everyone’s attention. “Would you three mind me staying over? With your dad? Just for tonight.”  
The kids stared at him for a moment, the twins obviously confused and Lorna joining in because her siblings and even her dad were staring. “Why do you have to ask us?” Wanda asked.  
“Because your daddy loves you very much and if you said no I’d go home after dinner,” Logan said. “He never stayed over at my place because he couldn’t stand a night away from you. He loves you that much. So. Your call, really.”  
“You’re an unbelievable sap,” Erik huffed. He sounded amused though.   
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t kick you out?” Logan smirked.   
“Shut up,” Erik grumbled. “When and how hard I kick you out I’ll decide myself.”  
Logan’s smirk widened. “No you won’t.”  
Out of words to say, Erik just punched Logan in the leg, out of the kids’ line of sight.  
It took the kids a little to recover from the little banter. Logan used the time to poke and pinch Erik under the table, causing a small skirmish between them. Erik relaxed over it, visibly even. It went a long way to show him that for Logan, everything was still alright. He’d needed it, Logan could tell.  
“Do you kiss Daddy lots?” Lorna asked all of a sudden. She was staring at the top of the table, just about where Logan had just been pinching her daddy's leg. He’d completely forgotten she could feel his bones.  
Logan cleared his throat. “Only when nobody’s watching,” he said. “Don’t wanna share with onlookers.”  
“Will you kiss Daddy good night?” she went on.  
Logan smirked. “Only when I’m sure nobody’s spying.”  
“As if you wouldn’t kiss me if you had a point to prove,” Erik snorted. Under the table, he caught Logan’s hand to entwine their fingers.  
Logan quirked an eyebrow. “Do you think I have one now?” It was hard not to purr.   
“Yes.” Erik was purring, much to the horror of the twins. Pietro even averted his eyes when his father leaned over to steal a quick peck from Logan. “Oh come on,” Erik grumbled when he’d noticed the looks on his children’s faces. “First you bug me about relationships and now you don’t like it.” He did his best to sound like he was still in good humor but Logan could tell he was panicking a little again.  
“If we’re ok with Logan staying won’t you ever do that again?” Pietro croaked. Lorna nodded emphatically.  
Erik glared at him at little. “I can offer a no kisses at the table rule,” he said. “But that will apply to all of you as well. You’re too young to date anyway.”  
“Daaad!” Wanda protested.  
“Don’t daaad me. Sort it out with your siblings.” Erik leaned back, looking pleased with the turn of events. The hand gripping Logan’s under the table was still holding on tight though.  
For a moment, Wanda looked very displeased but neither Pietro nor Lorna seemed particularly inclined to take her side so she let out an annoyed huff. “Okay, fine, no kisses at the table.”  
“And you don’t mind Logan staying?” Erik somehow managed not to sound too hopeful.  
Wanda looked at her brother, pulling him down so she could whisper in his ear. There was a little discussion, before Wanda looked back at her father. “You take kitchen duties as long as he’s here,” she demanded.  
The corner of Erik’s mouth twitched. “Fine.” He nodded. “Well bargained.”  
“What if I don’t want to help with the kitchen duties?” Logan stage whispered.  
Erik shot him a look. “You can always run away from that little bit of cleaning and cooking.”  
“Do you think I’m afraid of that?” Logan smirked.   
Erik shrugged. “Considering I’ve never seen you do any actual cooking…”  
Loud enough to have the kids hear him as well, Logan grumbled, “And you’re telling me I’m full of… Hot air.”  
“I had the best to learn from,” Erik said. There was an unusual softness in his smile as he looked at Logan. “Will you stay?”  
“Yeah,” Logan nodded. “Of course.”  
With a loud clatter, too loud to be truly accidental, Wanda stacked her empty plate on her brother’s. “We’re done eating. You can go clean up now,” she declared, getting up from her seat. Following her lead, Lorna and Pietro got up as well. Moments later, Erik and Logan were alone.  
“Well,” Logan murmured. He had meant to say that it had gone about as good or bad as he’d expected, but before he could say anything he’d noticed how Erik’s facial expression had changed to one of those very raw ones even Logan only got to see very rarely, when Erik had finally managed to admit some trouble to him after hours of not knowing how to talk about it. Logan gently tugged at Erik’s hand he was still holding. “What’s wrong?”  
Erik pressed his lips together. It took a few moments, but then he murmured, “They don’t like you all that much.”  
Logan did his best not to smile. “They’re just suspicious of the guy stealing their dad,” he said. “Give them time.”  
“Wanda looked so mad at me,” Erik continued in his lament, ignoring Logan.  
“She’s just mad she wasn’t involved in your dating life from the start,” Logan joked. When Erik glared at him, he tried at least a more serious explanation: “You’re close with them, very close. And now they learned you kept something so important as your lover from them. Of course they feel a little betrayed.” He shrugged. “They’ll forgive you. Probably. Very likely even.”  
“You actually think so?” Erik asked. He started to stack the plates, mostly to keep his free hand busy.  
Logan smirked at him. “If you don’t shock then anytime soon with the revelation that their well adjusted, emotionally stable dad is just an act…”  
Erik glared at him. “Fuck you.”  
“Grown ups don’t panic over the judgement of teenage girls,” Logan teased.  
Erik shook his head, trying for disbelief but not quite managing to hide his smile. “Get a teen of your own then we talk. I panic all the time.”  
“I know.” Logan leaned over for a kiss. “C’mon.” He let go of Erik’s hand but not before he’d squeezed it once more. “Let’s get this table and the kitchen cleaned up.”  
Cleaning up after dinner was a lot less work than Logan had thought. Erik had cleaned the kitchen while he had been cooking, leaving them only with the task of clearing the table and putting everything but the board in the dishwasher. While Logan waited patiently, Erik washed the board by hand with little water and dried it off before leaning it against a wall to fully dry.  
When they were done, Erik pulled Logan close for a moment, murmuring, “I’m still glad you’re here” before letting go again. Logan lightly punched his arm in lieu of a response. Shaking his head, Erik tugged Logan’s arm, leading him over to the living room Logan had not yet seen.  
It was about twice as large as the room they’d eaten in, with a large couch at the center, facing a wall of cupboards that hosted quite a few books and a large flatscreen in the center. Under the screen were a bunch of closed cabinets, one of which Erik opened to take out the tv’s remote. Logan could glance something big, black and slightly curved next to the remote, accompanied by at least one controler.  
“Pietro’s?” Logan asked.  
Erik smiled. He settled down on the couch with Logan, half leaning on him, before he answered. “Only if an actual grown up asks. In truth he has the old one in his room. This one’s mine.”  
“Lemme guess,” Logan laughed while Erik flipped through the channels until he found something to doze to. “At least one of the closed cabinets holds an impressive amount of games.”  
“Grandpa.” From his tone Logan could guess Erik was rolling his eyes. “Never heard of downloads?” He smirked. “But you’re still right.”  
They settled on a channel with some mind numbing evening show. Logan didn’t mind, he liked snarking at the cheesy plots with an increasingly sleepy Erik. Eventually, they switched over to the news, causing Erik to at least pretend he wasn’t a few moments away from falling asleep.  
The news anchor had just passed over to their weather person, when Lorna came padding into the room. “Daddy?” she asked, causing Erik to jerk a little, awake from one moment to the next. Logan could tell he wasn’t sure how he should or shouldn’t show his affection for Logan around his kids. Lorna didn’t seem to mind, looking cautiously hopeful as both adults turned their heads to her. “I know Logan’s here but it’s Friday and…”  
“You want to stay up for a movie.” Erik was smiling softly. He shot Logan a quick glance but only got a shrug in return. Logan didn’t mind what they were watching, since Erik would be napping against his shoulder either way. “What do you wanna watch?”  
“Something with soccer,” Lorna declared.  
“Again?” Erik groaned. “We just had one like that last week.”  
“I like soccer,” Lorna said, sounding like it wasn’t up for discussion.  
Shaking his head, Erik got up and fumbled around in the cabinet with the console. Logan could hear a small whizzing noise start up and Erik was holding the controller. “TV itself has no wifi,” he told Logan as he settled down, as if that meant anything to Logan. The screen switched to some epilepsy warning for a moment when Erik changed channels, before he pressed a button on the controler and then flicked through a menu until he’d found what he’d been looking for.   
Seconds later, the screen showed the logo of netflix while it was loading.  
“So, soccer you say?” Erik asked Lorna. She’d settled down on his other side, keeping only little distance, while slightly eyeing how her dad was leaning onto Logan.  
She nodded.  
“Anything else?” Erik was entering soccer in the search bar, something he was surprisingly quick at despite the lack of keyboard.  
“Nuh-uh.” Lorna shook her head.  
Erik eventually picked one that looked like a teen movie seemingly at random, before putting down the controller on the side table. “I remember this one not being awful and having a female main character,” Erik whispered in Logan’s ear as the movie started with a scene at a random beach. “We watched bend it like beckham last week,” he added, causing Lorna to make loud shushing noises at him.  
The first half an hour of the movie, Erik was almost looking at much at Lorna as he was at the screen. Only eventually he fully relaxed against Logan again, even daring to nudge him until he wrapped his arm around him when he was sure Lorna really didn’t care what they were doing as long as they didn’t disturb her watching the movie. It still took a while until Logan was sure Erik had started to nod off.  
When Logan had the feeling the movie was wrapping up—the culmination with a match against the girl’s former school’s team was pretty telling—he started gently poking Erik, trying to get him to wake up without Lorna noticing. Erik raised his head to sleepily glare at Logan, but he made no verbal comment on the disturbance of his nap time.  
Lorna was yawning by the time the credits rolled, but she also seemed pleased enough. “Did you like the movie?” she asked Logan, though she was looking at her dad who still hadn’t moved off Logan’s chest.  
Logan shrugged. “The soccer was a little unrealistic,” he said.   
Lorna nodded. “Yeah. But I like how her team won.” She pouted a little. “Cutting the girl’s team just because they’re girls was mean.”  
“Awful even,” Logan agreed.  
For a moment, she looked him up and down, thinking. “If they cut my team in middle school would you yell at the coach for me?”  
Logan grinned. “The principal even.”  
That answer seemed to please Lorna. She smiled at him. After a moment, she looked down to her dad, studying the back of his head closely before asking, “Can we watch another movie?”  
Logan laughed softly. “Do you really think I don’t know about your bedtime? It’s almost ten.” He shook his head emphatically. “No more movies for you today.”  
Lorna pouted a little. “You can’t decide that.”  
“But I can,” Erik rumbled. “Bedtime’s still at ten for you on Fridays.” Gingerly, he sat up, stretching a little. “I want you in bed by the time we get upstairs. Chopchop.”  
Lorna pouted a little more but she didn’t complain, instead padded out of the room. Erik yawned a little.  
“Sounds like you stayed up past bedtime too,” Logan chuckled.  
Erik shrugged. “Trust me I don’t have to be awake to send teens or pre-teens to bed.” He scowled. “Or at least teach the teens that I’ll wake them at ten the next morning no matter when they went to bed. Hadn’t use the timer on the wifi to get them to sleep by one in a while.”  
“A timer?” Logan asked. He watch Erik get up and stretch, before turn off both console and tv and storing the remote and controller back in the cabinet where they belonged.  
“One of those you put between plug and outlet, nothing fancy,” Erik explained. “Set to cut the power at ten on weeknights and midnight on Friday and Saturday. Such a pain if I need to get work done at night let me tell you. But nothing better getting teens to sleep than to turn off the internet for the night.”  
Having nothing else to say, Logan got up as well, rolling his shoulders a little. He hadn’t even noticed the strain on the one Erik had slept on until Erik had gotten up. “So, bed?” he asked.   
Erik nodded. “Did you bring an overnight bag?”  
Logan pointed with his thumb in the vague direction of the entrance door. “Car.”  
It made Erik smile for a moment. “Then get it,” he hummed. He came over hug Logan. His heart was racing so fast Logan could feel it. “You’re staying over.”  
Logan nodded. “The kids said I could,” he tried to get a laugh out of Erik. It only did that much, so he added a moment later, “Only to sleep.”  
Erik punched him in the side. “I know.”  
“I’ll get my bag now,” Logan said but didn’t pull back. “Wanna come to the car with me? Make out for a bit without supervision?”  
As expected, Erik rolled his eyes at him. “Go get the bag. I didn’t invite you because I wanted yet another teen in the house.” He reluctantly let go of Logan. “We can make out in bed.”  
Amused, Logan raised his eyebrows. “Oh can we now?” Erik’s glare made him consider and then quickly decide on a strategical retreat towards the door. “Be back in a moment,” he said with the doorknob in one hand and his keys in the other. Erik caught the open door and watched him while he walked over to his car, unlocking it from several paces away and making note to open the door on the passenger side, not just because that was where he’d put the small bag he’d brought.  
Erik was still staring at him, a little like a deer in headlights, as he walked back up to the house. The night air was crisp enough that Logan felt it despite his suit jacket, he could only imagine how cold Erik was in his thin shirt. It made him hasten his steps a little.  
Once back inside, they went upstairs. Erik showed Logan to the master bedroom, taking an empty hanger from the closet for Logan’s suit and then left him to get ready for bed while he went to tuck Lorna in and tell the twins not to stay up for too long. He took long enough that Logan had changed into the t-shirt and pajama pants he usually spent his lazy days in and was almost done brushing his teeth by the time Erik came into the bathroom to get ready for bed as well.  
“Where shall I put this?” Logan asked once he was done brushing his teeth. He held up the hanger with his suit.  
Erik paused mid-pulling his shirt off to shrug. “Hang it on the closet, I guess.”  
“Ok.” Logan pressed a kiss on Erik’s cheek before he left the bathroom. “I’ll be waiting in bed. Don’t hurry.”  
Erik took long enough in the bathroom for Logan to hang up his suit neatly outside the closet and make himself comfortable in bed. It was big enough to fit two very comfortably, even if they weren’t sleeping close, so should they discover that even though they could nap cuddled up sleeping was different, there was enough space to sleep comfortably on either side of the bed.  
When Erik eventually padded into the bedroom, he was wearing loose shorts and a ratty old t-shirt. With a flick of his hand and the use of his powers, he turned off the lights once he’d reached the bed. As he climbed into bed, he sighed a little, shuffling close to Logan under the blanket.  
“Do you want to sleep right away?” Logan rumbled. He’d put an arm around Erik who’d snuggled up to him with his arm thrown across Logan’s chest. All Logan got in reply to his question was a sleepy nod. “Long day?” he went on asking, not all that tired.  
“Just stressful,” Erik mumbled. “Still, I’m glad you came.” His hand was clinging to Logan’s shirt.  
Logan hummed in agreement. He’d started stroking Erik’s back. “If your kids allow it I could come by more often,” he said. “I don’t mind.”  
Erik took his time to answer, long enough to make Logan wonder if he hadn’t fallen asleep. “Gotta fight it out with Wanda first.” He sighed. “I think. Probably. Maybe she’ll just change her mind in time but I doubt it. She’s stubborn when she’s mad for a reason.”  
“So you’re saying she’s your daughter,” Logan laughed.  
Erik huffed, but it could have been a short laugh as well. “Basically,” he agreed.  
Logan’s wandering hand slowly drifted down Erik’s back, low enough so he could grab the hem of Erik’s shirt and pull it up ever so slightly so he could touch naked skin. Erik sighed. “And just what are you up to now?” he asked. He didn’t sound displeased though.  
“I was promised some making out in bed,” Logan smirked.  
Erik groaned in reply, much too theatrically to be actually serious about it. “I remember promising something like that,” he hummed, putting one leg across Logan’s. With his free arm around his hip, Logan helped speed things up a little, pulling Erik fully on top of him. In the twilight of the bedroom, he could see Erik’s shocked face for a moment, just long enough for a glimpse, before the vaguely eager mask Erik put up on such occasions showed itself. Logan kissed his forehead. “Just because I sleep here tonight doesn’t change anything between us, alright?” he murmured. “We can just go to sleep if you wanna.”  
Erik shook his head. “‘m good,” he murmured. He buried his face in the crook of Logan’s neck.  
“You tell me if you aren’t?” Carefully, Logan was rubbing circles into Erik’s shoulder, trying to ease the tension from them.  
“Uh-hu,” Erik hummed, his breath tickling the skin of Logan’s neck. He stayed silent for a bit, only him leaning into the massage convincing Logan that he hadn’t fallen asleep. “I still wanna make out,” Erik eventually murmured.  
“Oh, you do?” Logan just continued to rhythmically apply pressure on whatever hard muscle his fingers found in Erik’s shoulder. He was almost sure he’d heard Erik making some pleased noises every now and then when he found an especially good spot. The massage only really used one hand without being uncomfortable, though, so Logan put his other across Erik’s back, his hand loosely holding his waist. “That ok?”  
Erik groaned softly. “Whenever wasn’t it,” he replied, though the both knew there had been times when Erik had been reeling enough he didn’t want any touches, anywhere.  
“If you wanna make out, you’ll have to move,” Logan reminded him when Erik still gave no indication he would change position anytime soon.  
Erik only responded with a content noise, convincing Logan even further that he wouldn’t move unless forced. It wasn’t something Logan much minded, so he just let him be.  
“I really liked the food,” Logan said. Erik made a noise to indicate he was listening. “You’re a great cook.”  
“Comes with practice,” Erik murmured. “My mom’s still taste better.”  
“Mmmm, can’t even imagine,” Logan sighed. “Tonight was the best I had in ages.”  
Erik shrugged. “You could just start cooking yourself.”  
“Wouldn’t taste as good or be as nice as dinner here,” Logan grinned.  
Erik sighed, sounding relaxed and happy still. “So you really like them?”  
“Dunno yet,” Logan admitted. “But I like the idea of family dinners with all of you.”  
“Good.” Erik sounded very relieved. “I’d like to have you over more often.”  
Logan moved his hand so he could scratch Erik’s neck a little. “I like being around, too.”  
Erik let himself being scratched for a little while, shifting whenever he wanted Logan’s hand to move to a different spot. But eventually, he stretched, yawning a little. “If you don’t want me to fall asleep like this,” he mumbled. “Lemme move.”  
“How gracious of you to warn me,” Logan smirked. He did withdraw his arm from around Erik’s waist though and stopped scratching.  
Erik made a point of rolling his eyes at Logan, at least Logan assumed he did in the dim light he couldn’t see for sure, before he sat up, stretching again.  
“You know.” Logan was still smirking. “If you were a woman that’d be quite the nice view.”  
“Shut up,” Erik grumbled. His slow movements speaking of his tiredness, he climbed off Logan. “Don’t test me. I always wanted to try murdering somebody with a cushion.”  
Logan laughed, softly, knowing fully well that somewhere nearby Lorna was sleeping. “That’s not as easy as the movies make it look.” He rolled onto his side so he was still facing Erik. “Wanna get spooned?”  
Erik hummed in agreement. Instead of rolling so his back was to Logan, though, he first leaned over so he could kiss Logan briefly. “G’night.”  
Logan waited until Erik had settled in place before he put an arm around him, pulling Erik’s back close to his chest. “G’night.”  
~*~  
The next morning, Logan woke up alone in Erik’s bed. From the bathroom, he could hear the noise of a running shower. He rolled over, still a little disoriented from sleep, searching for his phone to find out just how early it was. With a groan, he put down the phone and closed his eyes. It was barely past eight, much too early to be up on a Saturday.  
Without Erik, however, there was little keeping Logan in bed now that he was awake. The rest of the house was mostly silent, the teens likely still asleep and Lorna if not asleep at least quiet. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Logan padded over to the bathroom. He knocked once the shower was turned off, asking “Do you mind me coming in?”  
It took a moment before Erik answered. “Bathroom? Come in.”  
Logan opened the door and stepped inside, stretching again. He felt a little more sore than usual, probably because he hadn’t been able to move about much during the night. “And the shower?” Logan asked with a smirk when he noticed that Erik wasn’t done there yet.  
“Don’t you dare,” Erik warned. “I’m not sharing.”  
“Did nobody teach you as a kid you should share, especially with loved ones?” Logan mock-pouted. He padded over to the sink to inspect his face in the mirror, pondering if he could get away with not shaving for the weekend.  
“Good thing you’re a grown up and will survive without me sharing,” Erik replied before turning the water back on.  
Logan passed the time Erik needed to finish his shower brushing his teeth and telling himself that a shave really could wait until Monday, he would only cut himself anyway as sleepy as he was. Not that the cuts would matter much but he’d still prefer not to.  
When he left the shower, Erik immediately wrapped himself in a towel. He also stayed at arm’s length from Logan, looking for all Logan could tell insecure. It was miniscule, not much of a change from Erik’s usual grumpiness when he’d just woken up, but still very obvious. Logan wondered if he’d just better have left Erik some alone time in the bath. “Did you sleep ok?” Logan asked casually, trying to wipe some toothpaste remnants from the corners of his mouth.  
Erik made a noncommittal noise that could mean either.  
Logan held out an open arm toward Erik, hoping that the offer of a good morning hug would somewhat lighten Erik’s mood. Erik accepted the invitation, not without hesitation, only relaxing when Logan put his arm around his waist, far above the edge of the towel. Logan kissed his forehead. “Should I shower later to help you with breakfast?” he asked.  
Erik leaned against him for a moment longer. “Nah,” he said, pulling away a little so he could look at Logan. “I’m good. Just don’t take so long that Pietro is down before you or you won’t get any breakfast.”  
Logan nodded. “I’ll hurry.”  
“Good.” Erik kissed Logan’s cheek. “And I did sleep very well. Apparently you’re a good cushion. But I knew that before.”  
With that, Erik left the bathroom, towel still around his hip. Logan undressed when he was alone, folding his clothes neatly so he could pack them more easily later. He didn’t idle in the shower, but he had no hurry either. When he was just slathering his hair with Erik’s shampoo, he could feel the ghost of a shaky touch brush over his bones. He took this as a sign that Lorna was up and still curious about him.  
When Logan eventually came down, fully dressed in a comfortably worn jeans held up by a belt with a large buckle and a white t-shirt, he found Lorna sitting at the kitchen counter, still in her stars and planets print pajamas. She seemed to be arguing with Erik over breakfast.  
“But why can’t I have chocolate chip waffles?” she whined.   
Erik sighed. “Because it’s a mess.”  
“Can I at least have chocolate spread with mine?” Lorna pouted.  
Erik pulled a face, looking at Logan for help. “You like healthy breakfast, don’t you?” he almost pleaded. To Logan, it was all the proof he needed that Lorna always eventually got her will when it came to breakfast on weekends.  
“What kind of healthy?” he still asked, a little wary.  
“Muesli?” Erik tried, raising a container filled with what looked like broken grainola bars defensively.  
Logan wrinkled his nose. “That looks like bird food. No bird food for the bear man,” Logan declared, to Lorna’s obvious amusement.  
Erik sighed, putting the container back in its place on the counter. “Fine. Waffles for everyone, I get it. Nobody likes healthy breakfast,” he grumbled without any real zest. He didn’t make himself any more believable with how quickly he had all the ingredients out and was mixing the batter.  
Pleased with the turn of events, Lorna beamed up at Logan. “Did you sleep well?” she asked, her dangling feet kicking against the counter every now and then.  
“Yes,” Logan replied, looking over to Erik. “Your daddy’s bed was very comfortable.”  
“I like sleeping in daddy’s bed too,” Lorna told him. “But he only lets me sleep there when I’m having nightmares.”  
They continued to talk like that, Logan asking a bit about what Lorna liked besides soccer and she went on to tell him an elaborate story how she’d go to space one day to rescue a boy she liked and then rule a solar system of her own and fight aliens. Logan nodded along, asking questions when he assumed she wanted to be asked and looking at Erik from time to time who was far too interested in watching the waffle iron fry, probably to hide his smile.  
The twins didn’t come down until they were halfway through breakfast, the waffle iron already unplugged and cooling since Erik had deemed the stack of waffles sufficient. Pietro just appeared on a chair one moment, only the swoosh of air indicating he’d run. A moment later, about two thirds of the remaining stack of waffles was on a plate in front of him. Logan paused in his attempt to steal some of Erik’s muesli with the spoon from his coffee to look questioningly at Erik who just rolled his eyes. Logan took that to mean “I told you so”.  
Wanda came down a couple of minutes later, rubbing her eyes and only briefly glancing at Logan before she sat down next to her brother. She wrinkled her nose at the waffles. “You said we’d have pancakes this week,” she pouted, getting up again to fetch herself a bowl of muesli.  
“Lorna wanted waffles,” Erik explained between two mouthfuls. “Not my fault you weren’t awake when I started breakfast.”  
“Waffles are better than pancakes,” Lorna chirped. She was happily tearing pieces off her third waffle and stuffing them into her mouth.  
Wanda made a noise of annoyed disgust.  
“What’s the problem?” Erik asked. He was obviously worried but also a little annoyed by her behavior. “I thought you liked waffles.”  
“I like them. Just not today,” Wanda huffed.  
Before she could add anything more, Pietro chimed up, “She stayed up half the night talking to Jean and is cranky.”  
Under the table, Wanda punched his leg with an audible smack. “I told you not to tell dad,” she hissed.  
Logan was sure Erik was filing that info carefully away for later, probably to bring it up in private either with him or with Wanda herself. As far as Logan knew, there was no reason why Wanda shouldn’t want her dad to know about it. At least it distracted Erik enough so Logan could steal another raisin out of his bowl without having to fight Erik for it. Erik stole a bit of waffle back in retaliation.  
“Can’t you just eat your own food?” Pietro asked, watching them squabble over half a hazelnut.  
Logan and Erik looked at each other, then at Pietro. “Why?” they asked.  
Pietro rolled his eyes, a perfect imitation of his dad. “You’re like the really insufferable couples at school,” he explained. “They gotta share everything, too.”  
Logan frowned. “We’re not sharing.”  
“He’s stealing my bird food,” Erik smirked. “That’s not sharing.”  
“Still insufferable,” Pietro declared, stuffing half a waffle of his own into his mouth in one go.  
They eventually finished breakfast, the children leaving one by one to do something else in their rooms. Logan stayed to help do the clean up, washing down the waffle iron while Erik put dishes in the dishwasher and everything else away.  
“I really need to talk to Wanda,” Erik sighed all of a sudden. “Last night, this morning… I wonder if she and Jean are fighting.”  
“Jean’s her best friend?” Logan asked, scrubbing at an especially stubborn piece of burnt batter.  
Erik shrugged. “I think? She’s over often to do homework and all.”  
“Oh my.” Logan pulled a face. “Welp, good think I’ll have to go to the dry cleaners and do other chores anyway.”  
“You’re a terrible liar.” Erik smiled softly. “Thanks.”  
“Kids first me second, I know the deal,” Logan laughed. “Besides, the dry cleaner bit wasn’t a lie. Need to pick up a suit and drop the one off I wore yesterday.”  
“Still sorry I’m kicking you out right after breakfast,” Erik mumbled, kissing Logan’s stubbly cheek.  
~*~  
Even after Logan was gone, Erik took a while to actually go up to Wanda’s room. Vacuuming just seemed more important and Logan had to convince him via text while he was loading the washer with dirty laundry that he really should go and talk to her before going out for groceries.  
Erik still wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted when he was standing at the door to Wanda’s room. He just hoped that if he sat down with her to talk he would find out. Taking a deep breath, Erik knocked. “Wanda? Can we talk?”  
It took a few moments, but eventually, Wanda opened the door. “What do you want?” She sounded suspicious.   
“Just talk. Promise. I’m not mad or anything,” Erik said. “Will you let me in?”  
Wanda shrugged and held the door open for him. “Whatever,” she grumbled, strolling back over to her bed where she flopped down and picked up her phone to text, pretending Erik wasn’t there.  
With a sigh, Erik sat down at the end of her bed. “What’s wrong, Spatz?”  
Wanda very pointedly didn’t look up from her phone. “Nothing,” she grumbled.  
“Did you have a fight with Jean?” Erik pressed on. It wasn’t like her not to tell him if something that bothered her.  
“No!” Wanda slammed her phone down on the bed. “Everything’s fine with her. And I’m fine, too!”  
“Then what’s wrong? Something's bothering you.” Unused to this kind of talk, it was hard for Erik to remain calm. “Is it about a boy?”  
“No!” Wanda snapped at him. “Why does it have to be a boy anyway? Just because you hide your boyfriend from us doesn’t mean I’m straight!”  
Erik blinked. He had been ready to yell back at her but luckily, his brain caught up with his ears before his mouth was ready. For a moment, he looked at Wanda, slack jawed.  
“What?” Wanda asked, her tone mellowed a bit. She was clearly thrown off by her Dad’s reaction. “You can’t deny it looks a lot like you don’t wanna be gay.”  
Erik was still fighting for his composure. “I… What?” he finally brought out.  
“You’re…” Wanda shrugged. “Why else would you hide him from everyone for so long? Or not at least bring him home to meet us or stay over with him for a night? It’s weird, Dad.” Much more quietly, she added, “Lorna’s mom you brought home but you never were like you’re with him now.” She reached out to gently push Erik’s chin up to close his mouth. Then, she sat back again, hugging her knees to her body. “You clearly like him. A lot. So why…?”  
Erik took a deep breath. “Do you really want to have a sex talk with your Dad?” he laughed, but he felt incredibly nervous.  
Wanda shrugged. She didn’t look at him. “If that means I get to know why you didn’t tell us your… Gay? Bi? Yeah. I wanna.”  
“Ok,” Erik sighed. “Let’s start there, ok?” He wiped his sweaty hand at his pants. “I never told anyone but Logan, before.” He was blabbering he knew he was and that it wasn’t like him but he had to find the courage to say it out loud and direct. He couldn’t rely that Wanda would just fill in his blanks like Logan had. “I’m pretty sure I’m not bi. Definitely sure I’m not gay. I… I just really, really don’t like sex. At all. Doesn’t matter with whom. I… I like being in a relationship, but… The moment it comes far enough for sex…” He shook his head. “Lie back and endure is not an option for a guy. And… Well…” He shrugged.  
“Dad…?” Wanda asked, very quietly. “Why do you even have us then?”  
Erik pressed his lips together. “I really really wanted to sleep with your mom because she seemed to like and want it?” he tried to explain himself. “We had frequent fights over how little I wanted it, though.”  
“Same with Lorna’s mom…?” Wanda shifted so she could lean against him. He put an arm around her.   
“Same with her,” Erik nodded. “...in hindsight I should have been more straightforward with them both. Let them hear my side and then decide instead of letting them feel unwanted.”  
Wanda snuggled up to him. “And Logan?”  
“I tried. I really did. You know I thought if it doesn’t work with women I love maybe with a man…” He shook his head again. “We got halfway to… Well. Through foreplay even. But… I just froze up and tried to push myself through and… He noticed and stopped. Asked me what was wrong. I had tried to act eager but he’d seen through me. And then we talked. He agreed to, well. We don’t really sleep with each other. We just, you know, hang out and…”  
“Be an insufferable couple?” Wanda quoted her brother from earlier.  
“Exactly,” Erik agreed. He felt better now, glad it was out and over.  
Wanda was quiet for a bit, before she mumbled, “I really wanna date Jean.”  
Erik did his best to hide a smile. Sometimes, it was easy to forget how fast the kids grew. “What does she think about it?”  
“She’d like to,” Wanda said, with enough confidence for it to be believable that she’d actually asked. “But after the Logan thing…”  
“You were afraid I’d mind?” Erik guessed. “Ach Spatz.” He cuddled her. “Like I could ever mind anyone you deem important enough to spend that much time with.”  
She squealed in protest, trying to grab her phone. “I gotta tell Jean,” she giggled when Erik finally let go. “You wouldn’t let me go on a date with her next weekend, would you? I swear it won’t affect my marks.”  
“Saturday?” Erik offered. “You’re home by ten and if that means Jean will stay over just so you’re actually home then I’ll close both eyes about it.”  
“You just wanna have Logan over on Friday,” Wanda laughed. “Ok, ok, you’re the boss. Home by ten, probably with Jean, I get it.”  
Erik grinned. Well, she wasn’t exactly wrong there. 


End file.
